The Kochi-Muziris Biennale – The Third Edition
An interview with the co-founder and co-president Bose Krishnamachari and one of the selected artists Subrat Kumar Behera.
In May 2010, the Culture Minister of Kerala, M.A Baby, approached the artist-curators Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu to start an international art platform in India. They proposed the idea of a biennial event in Kochi, in similar fashion to the Venice Biennale, due to the lack of an international platform for contemporary art in India. The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) was set up as a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting art and culture as well as educational activities in India and of course the Kochi-Muziris Biennale itself. This was supported by the Government, private patrons, and local businesses. The first edition took place in 2012 and was thus India’s first ever Biennale of international contemporary art. The name Kochi-Muziris amalgamates the historic cosmopolitan legacy of the modern metropolis of Kochi with its mystical predecessor; the ancient seaport and urban centre of Muziris.
By Edward Sheldrick MLitt
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